His Pack of Four
by Bleeding-Ink86
Summary: Werewolves are not meant to be alone. They must have a pack to teach the pups how to cope with their problems, run with during the full moon and to hunt. Remus, however, has been a loner since the day he was bitten by Fenryr Greyback. He's a werewolf with no pack and no one to be around with when the full moon rises. This is the story of the man who refused to embrace his feral s
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

The walk from the castle to the Whomping Willow was excruciating with every step I got myself to take. All day I had to pretend to my friends that I had a bad case of stomach flu in order to explain the shakes, the irritability and the continuous ill look I had upon my face. I wasn't sure if they believed me because of the constant looks they exchanged with one another but I could only hope.

It was dusk and the October air was becoming chilly. Regardless of the weather and time, _he _knew what day of the month it was and wanted out already to run. My wolf wanted to break free from the cage I had created for him since the beginning of my nightmare. The sight of the Forbidden Forest made him want to hunt those weaker than him and feed on their flesh; the feeling was so strong that for a second I thought I was going to shift. However, I was able to stop it again by taking deep breaths. The small part of me that remained human throughout the night forbade the wolf from ever going out. So in the end, wolf tended to bite at our legs and scratch with his claws until there was blood as a punishment for not letting him do what was natural. I tended to not remember much of the ordeal of the night.

In a way, I was a mere passenger, mentally locking myself away from the beast while it was out. I could still keep track of him by sensing its feelings and what it was thinking but that's all I was willing to do, hurting no one was my main priority. The morning after the full moon I wake up having vague memories of the night before, the beast's memories. I could remember everything if I wanted to, but that would mean accepting the werewolf in me, to become _one with_ _him,_and lose my humanity altogether.

"Mr. Lupin, are you alright?" Professor McGonagall asked. I could sense her heart beat increase and the light smell of sweat. She was nervous and afraid that I was going to shift here, in the middle of the grounds and go after the students. I couldn't blame her, even I became afraid every once in a while that I would end up doing attacking everyone. At the thought of cornered prey, my wolf perked up, but I managed to shove him back into his cage and forced myself to look at McGonagall who was trying, in spite of her fears, to not show the anxiety in her face. Being a werewolf heightens our senses. I could hear better than any of my classmates, sense heart beats speed up or slow down, smell the tiniest hints of fragrances, even from afar, and adapt to darkness quicker. Which made sneaking around the castle at night with James, Sirius and Peter much easier. "Mr. Lupin?"

"Just the usual, Professor," I forced a smile as I felt the strong tugging in my stomach. Night was quickly approaching; the full moon's shine was almost visible making it harder for me to keep him at bay much longer.

Luckily, we got to the tree just in time. I had been so busy trying to think of things that I hated to keep the transformation from happening that I didn't even notice Professor McGonagall immobilize the tree for me. I found out at a very young age that when I begin to think of the little things I hate the most, the shifting was prolonged for a small period of time. Ever since then, I've used that technique. It hurt when the change occurred due to the wolf's anger but I didn't care. The longer I stayed human the better.

_'Pudding, the bloody full moon, bad marks, Slytherins, the lot of them, broccoli, really bad marks, a T in Herbology O.W.L.-'_'

"Mr. Lupin?"

"Huh…? Oh, I'm sorry, Professor."

"Go on," she instructed. Her lips were pursed but her eyes were full of anguish and pity for me. I wanted to be mad at her. I didn't need her pity or anyone else's but I felt that that was the wolf talking and not me. I sighed and remembered that she treated me the same as her other students despite knowing the monster I had within me. In fact, she treated me just like any other student in that after this full moon, I had to continue my week long detention for a prank I had been part of with my friends. "Either Professor Flitwick or I will be early tomorrow to pick you up. You'll be taken to the infirmary afterwards. Don't forget Mr. Lupin, tomorrow night you have to continue that detention for mess you boys created in the common room."

"Yes, Professor." I nodded in agreement. _'Same as everyone else._'

"Well go on now, the sun is setting."

I stepped into the passageway, my eyesight immediately adjusting to the darkness. "Oh and Mr. Lupin?"

"Yes, Professor?"

"Please do be careful."

I smiled at her and nodded, "definitely will try." I often wondered why Dumbledore and the rest of the staff put up with me. I was grateful nonetheless of the sacrifice they had made for me because if someone were to get wind that the Headmaster of Hogwarts had allowed a werewolf, everyone in the staff would get sacked and I would be sent back home humiliated. That's why I tried to get high marks in every lesson. It was a thank you to Dumbledore and everyone else for letting me have a chance at being normal and make Mum and Dad proud.

With one last feeble wave to the professor, I began to make my way towards the shack.

I trudged along the path in pure agony and my legs wobbled as they struggled to carry my weight. Shifting was never easy for me due to always putting up a fight instead of willingly letting go of my humanity. I was a monster, and I accepted that, yet I was desperate enough to cling to my human side as long as possible during every full moon. My heart was beating so hard against my chest that I thought it was going to explode within me. "I wonder if that's the best option," I muttered to no one. "Just die as the monster I am." The stubborn part in me shook his head. "No, no it's not...Mum and Dad, they would be devastated. Mum had a nervous breakdown when I was bitten...I can't even imagine what would happen to her if I happen to die."

After the long walk, I finally made it into the small, raggedy shack just outside the village and settled myself in my usual room. I had free reign of the place, but I felt it was better to keep him locked up in one room to avoid any temptations of going out and hurting anyone. So I locked the door with the _Colloportus _spell, grateful that the wolf had no thumbs, magic or access to my wand, which was now located in a box at the topmost level of one of the many bookshelves in the room. The box itself was affixed permanently with the Sticking Charm I'd learned from Sirius, I was too paranoid that wolf would somehow get to the box by smashing his weight on the bookshelf and use it to get out.

After doing the same old routine, I settled on the stiff four-poster bed and took a whiff, the place smelled of a combination of sweat, blood, piss and dust making my nose wrinkle with disgust. At the thought of blood, the monster inside me began to salivate once again.

"Shut it!" My voice was deeper, almost like a growl. In retaliation my wolf tugged my insides causing my body to double over with pain. My head hit the wooden floor hard but that pain was nothing compared to the pain of leg bones melting and reforming in a new shape. With trembling fingers, I unbuttoned my shirt, not wishing to rip my clothes to shreds with the transformation and have to greet Professor McGonagall or Flitwick in the nude as I did last time. In the end, I was on all fours, naked and hating every cell in my body when the change began. I watched with pure agony as my fingers became longer and melted into claws. I hugged myself, the claws digging into my sides, and began to rock back and forth attempting, as always, to keep the transformation from happening.

"I am a human being." My voice was now a wolfish whimper, and hot tears rolled down my cheeks. I felt pathetic. "I am a human and I'm in charge here. Not you!" My monster barked inside my head as if he was laughing at me. He was much stronger now that the full moon was up. I let out a blood-curdling scream as my spine felt like it was breaking before rearranging itself. Tawny fur began to show all over my body. My breathing was coming shorter and raspier; my vision became blurry just as a whimper escaped my lips…

* * *

_The Wolf lay on his stomach breathing hard. He had been doing that for many moons but never once it was easy. Slowly he got up shaking his coat before looking around the familiar surroundings. This was both his personal territory and his cage. He jumped to the mangled chair he had bitten last time and looked outside the window. Beyond the shack he could see the forest and yearned to run under the moonlight and sleep among the trees. Looking back inside his cage he growled with frustration. Without much pondering, Wolf lunged at the door with all of his great strength. But that wasn't enough as the door didn't even rattle with the impact. He tried again, injuring his left shoulder the second time but even then nothing changed. He was still trapped. _

_Whimpering as he limped, the wolf settled himself in his usual corner and began to chew on his legs. He was anxious, angry and exhausted at his imprisonment. _

_Close to midnight, when Wolf lay half asleep, his ears flickered when faint sounds were heard from downstairs. This was new to Wolf who spend most of his time in silence when he wasn't barking or howling on his own. He got on all fours and approached the door. True enough, he could smell three different scents approaching him. They were familiar but nonetheless they were coming to invade his territory and he needed to defend it. _

_"_Quiet you two, I hear something._" The first voice sounded sure of himself. Almost as if he were leading the group. Wolf could see shadows under the door approaching. He was afraid for he had no pack to help him against the invaders. He was alone but he needed to defend his place. He growled loudly hoping the invaders would go away, or serve as a warning. _

_"_Merlin's beard, was that a bloody growl?_" a second voice asked. Wolf could tell that he was afraid by the quiver of his voice. "_Look, perhaps this was a bad idea. If Remus wanted us to know his-_"_

_"_Shut it, Peter,"_ a third voice commanded the second one. Wolf took note that the third voice also sounded dominant, leaving the second voice to be the runt of the pack. "_How do you want to do this, James?_"_

"He's definitely here, I can hear him."

"You sure it's him, James?"_  
_  
"No, Peter, of course not. But we have to try, no? He's our mate after all. Alright, so Sirius and I will go in first. Peter, you open the door and then come in after us."

"Err...Peter, place an _Engorgio_ spell on the door as well. Otherwise our dear James might get stuck while prancing in." _Wolf sensed the attack coming so he backed towards his corner, growling and ready to pounce when the intruders came. The air was tense. Even with the door closed he could feel their anxiety and hear their hearts speed up._

The scents, however, changed. He could now smell wilderness, fur and magic mixed in with the familiar scent. The door opened and in came the largest piece of food he had seen walk right into his territory. It was a large stag with a matching set of antlers on its head. To Wolf, the stag smelled both delicious and wrong. Something in him told him that a stag should not have the sweet and tangy smell of magic and old stone. Underneath the great stag was a large black canine. He too smelled conflicting as both fur and magic seemed to be mixed in his scent.

_Wolf bared his fangs at the invaders, tail stiff between his legs. _

_The stag made a noise and backed away a little bit. The canine on the other hand held his ground. It seemed that he was the only one offering him a challenge for it never averted its gaze from Wolf who knew that only those who dared to look at him were literally challenging his ownership of the territory. He barked a couple of times and bared his teeth, saliva was oozing from his fangs. The dog took a couple of steps forward and that's when wolf leaped at the creature not wishing to give it a chance to attack first. He could sense the dog's fright, the anxiety and the beating of his heart increasing. He tried to bite the dog on the neck but the stag hit him with his antlers and sent him flying. Wolf hit the wall behind so hard that it almost knocked him out. His vision became blurry but he nonetheless attacked once again. _

_The stag met his attack head on, injuring his already hurt shoulder even more with an antler. Pain shot up his shoulder but Wolf didn't give up, he was hungry and was going to kill the stag one way or another. He scratched the great beast on the face just when he felt something biting him on the tail. Somehow a rodent was teaming up with the stag and dog. With his great paw, Wolf knocked the rodent off his tail, sending him flying across the room before facing his opponents once again. _

_The dog lowered himself, his stomach touching the floor and whined. It was being submissive and accepting Wolf as its leader. The large stag was behind the dog, its muzzle dripping with blood. All Wolf had to do was leap over the dog and dig his fangs on the stag's neck. He could almost taste its warm blood. _

_"No, stop, friends!" the old nagging voice yelled inside his brain. It tended to always stay away, hidden while Wolf was the dominant one but this time he was making its presence well known. He growled at the voice but didn't attack the so called friends. Sensing his brief pause, the dog ran towards the door and yelp in excitement. For Wolf it felt like the dog was trying to draw him away from his territory. Yet the outside was definitely a temptation for him. They could have his tiny territory; he was going to get a much bigger one where the hunt and prey would be far better than in his cage. _

_Despite his injured shoulder, Wolf ran past the dog and down the stairs. He could smell the woods and the cold air already. Everything was so enticing that Wolf could not wait any longer to find an exit. He made one himself by jumping out a window. _

_He was scratched, glass was all over his coat but Wolf didn't care, he continued to run towards the forest. The sensation of cool grass under his paws, the fresh air and openness made Wolf happy. Above him, the moon shone so brightly that Wolf took a deep breath in and howled happily. _

_He could hunt now, hunt for anything that would be easy prey and didn't care what the voice inside his brain was screaming about. _

_He was going to go in for the kill tonight._

* * *

__**Disclaimer:** Whatever you saw here belongs to JKR. Also, the POV change was inspired by the Kitty Norville book series by Carrie Vaughn.

**A/N:** This is the first chapter of three. So yeah, please, please, pllleeeaaassee...review. Reviews make me happy. Not flames...they're just fed to the plot bunnies.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's chapter 2 of this story! Everything you recognize belongs to the rightful owner. Also, this was inspired by Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series.  
**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_When the excitement of running out in the open ended, Wolf began to mark his new territory all over the first clearing he had found. He was hungry and wanted nothing more than to hunt a wild animal to feed himself. However the duty to warn any trespassers that the clearing belonged to him was much greater than food. Wolf needed to protect what was his when the other one locked him away. When he finished marking the last tree with his scent, Wolf tilted his nose upward and began to sniff the cold air. Everything around him smelled of rain on dry earth with a hit of death from the bird's carcass a few paces from him. His sensitive ears, on the other hand, picked up an owl hooting continuously above ground, crickets chirping and a rustling coming from the north._

_Putting his nose to the ground, Wolf began to breathe in the scents hoping to pick an animal trail to hunt down and eat. His ears, however, began to twitch nervously back and forth as the rustling began to get louder and closer. His head snapped up, his muscles tensing under his coat, when he realized that that he wasn't alone anymore. As the threat approached, Wolf's hackles were going up and a growl was building in his throat. Being alone and unfamiliar with his new territory, Wolf knew that he had little advantage at taking on the threat head on and win._

_The full moon shone brightly down on the clearing and forest but even then Wolf managed to spot the distant flicker of light approaching him. He started to back away from the intruder, his hind legs leading him under a bush for safety knowing that from there he could stalk his invader without being seen. His nose, on the other hand, went into overdrive mode when a gust of wind blew against his face. Wolf could not only smell the rain and death now but also the sweet and tangy smell of magic, smoke, and fresh wood._  
_  
As a two-legged creature stepped into his clearing, Wolf bared his teeth as low growl escaped his throat. He was about to leap at the intruder but when Wolf heard a second and more hectic rustle coming from behind the human he paused and waited to see what else was coming. He hunched lower to the ground and saw as the Invader himself turned towards the noise, frightened of what was approaching at such fast speed._

"Gavin wait for me!"_ Wolf heard a high pitch voice from the distant. _

_"_Ivan?"_ the first Invader asked, his heartbeat slowing down as the anxiety was replaced by tension when much smaller two-legged human joined him. They looked so much alike with their fire-like hair and with their similar scent that Wolf knew that they belonged to the same pack. The second Invader was the pup not only because he was much smaller but he kept looking down in shame as the adult, his shoulders stiff, kept yelling at him. _"What in the bloody hell are you doing here, Ivan? Does Mum even know you came? You know she doesn't like it when you're out in the forest during daylight let alone at night._"_

"I thought I could help,"_ the pup said, his voice had a hint of regret. "_Please, let me help, Gavin. I told Grandmama that I would be here with you while Mum was busy with Madame Minerva. I overheard that Elphinstone proposed to her yet again and once again she declined._"_

"Again? He's been at it for almost twenty years! The old man should just give up asking McGonagall to marry him; she's never going to accept. Anyway, don't try to distract me, you git. Grandmother was asleep by the time I left, so I doubt that she heard you. And besides, I don't need help; I can levitate the wood back home on my own. So go on, get going, back home you go."

_The name McGonagall stirred a thought on Wolf's mind but quickly dismissed it. Slowly, he began to flank both humans, his large paws making no noise as he moved. He knew that if he were to attack, the big one would be the greatest challenge. After he was done with the adult, however, the pup would be nothing but a mere game and possibly food._

_"_Alright, then. I'll just go home now and tell Mum that you let me walk back home in the darkness. All alone." _The pup laughed,_ "bless you, she's going to hex you the moment you come close to the cottage."

_The adult made a frustrated noise, _"fine. Stay and help me gather the wood for tomorrow. Just stay vigilant; you never know what's roaming around these forests."

"Yeah, like a scary vampire or werewolves."_ The pup laughed again as he bent over a few paces from Wolf's hiding place._

"Oi, shut it, you. It's a bloody full moon, the perfect time for a werewolf to show up, so don't joke about it."

_Wolf narrowed his eyes on the pup. He licked his muzzle, mouthwatering at the thought of warm food so close to him. He was an easy target, his size definitely worth one night's meal to appease Wolf's appetite. He could already taste the warm blood in his mouth and the feeling of the bones cracking under his powerful jaw. "No, stop it. Stand down you bloody animal!" the voice inside his head shouted. Wolf barked at the shouting voice in pure frustration; angry that it managed to sneak up on him for the second time._

"Did you hear that?"_ The pup stood from his spot, arms wrapped tightly around the wood he had collected, and his eyes resting on the tree where Wolf was hidden. _

"Ivan, I want you to walk towards me very slowly. No matter what, don't turn around."_ The pup made a frightened noise and nodded. Wolf could sense his heartbeat speed up dramatically and his scent beginning to mix with sweat. Knowing that he had been spotted, Wolf lowered his head and slowly came out of his spot, his eyes fixed intently on the small prey. Their eyes locked, a challenge had been issued by Wolf's standards, so he bared his fangs and snarled as the pup continued to back away from Wolf at a slow pace._

"Ivan, duck!"_ The pup hunched down quickly but Wolf, in contrast, had been too slow. A large, fiery piece of wood now lay between Wolf and his dinner. Instinctively, Wolf ran and pounced on the one that attacked him first, completely ignoring the pup; taking care of the threat was more important. He landed on the adult's chest, fangs close to his face and his paws firmly on the shoulders to keep him from standing. Wolf snarled and barked furiously at the two-legged creature but his fangs never tasted any blood or flesh. The attacker was keeping Wolf at bay by grabbing onto the scruff of his neck with so much force that Wolf tried to bite fruitlessly the arms that were holding him just to get away._

_From the other side of the clearing, Wolf could hear the pup yelling and throwing rocks but Wolf ignored him as his whole attention was on his current prey. The attacker's screams were so loud for Wolf's sensitive hearing and the stench of fear and sweat were so strong that Wolf barely had time to register the attack coming from his side. He landed hard on the dry ground with a yelp as a jagged rock dug past his thick, tawny coat cutting him deeply on his back. Struggling, Wolf got back up on his four paws, ignoring the searing pain, and shook his head trying to make the fuzzy images disappear. However, before his vision adjusted, a familiar scent hit his nose making him growl in anger._

_Both Wolf and the black dog stood their ground, facing each other as they sneered and barked, their hackles raised and their tails between their legs. Past the black dog, Wolf could see the adult was struggling to get up and join his pack._

"It's a wolf, Gavin,"_ said the young one, his voice quivering with pure fright as he helped his pack member stand. Wolf was annoyed that his prey was attempting to get away._

"No, it's a bloody werewolf." _Wolf heard the big one say as he pointed his magic stick towards Wolf. He barked at the dog letting him know that since he had given his allegiance to Wolf earlier, he needed to stand aside and not interfere with his hunt._

"How do you know?"_ the pup asked backing away from the adult, afraid. _"Were you bitten?"  
_  
_"No, I managed to get his mouth away from me. He's a lot heavier than a normal wolf though, that's why I know. Now get out of here, Ivan!"_ Wolf watched as the young one turned and disappeared into the forest, yelling loudly as he ran. Wolf bared his fangs and snapped at the air aggravated that his subordinate was allowing his food to just run away by not stepping aside. For Wolf, this was his last warning to step aside. The dog whined in return as he took several paces back, his black eyes shone with fright as to what his Alpha was going to do if he didn't move._

_Wolf had been concentrating on his subordinate that he had failed to see a jet of green light almost hit him, missing his head by a claw. The black dog narrowed his eyes, his own fur standing at an end as he turned to face the human. The Invader started to panic as the dog, snarling and barking, ran at him at full speed. He was about to send another jet of light from his stick when the black dog pounced and on midair latched on to the limb holding the stick._

_The human cried out as the black dog defended Wolf from any other attacks. In the end, Wolf watched as the two-legged creature punched the black dog on the chest, hurling him to the ground, before taking off into the forest. Wolf immediately took off after the Invader but when he ran past his subordinate, who lay on the floor breathing hard and whimpering, he stopped and looked back._

_With a snort and a shake of his head, Wolf trotted back to the black dog and sat next to him; a paw resting on his black head letting him know that he was not going to leave him. Wolf's ears twitched when, for a third time, he picked up a rustling noise approaching them. He stood on all four, the black dog safely behind Wolf, and waited. His nose picked up a different set of scents but this time they were familiar. He bared his teeth when the stag, carrying the rat on his head, came into the clearing. Wolf was about to attack, but when the dog barked as if he were asking Wolf to not do it, he stopped._

_Slowly, the stag approached Wolf and his subordinate, who was gradually coming to a sitting position, his tail wagging behind him. Out of respect and gratitude towards the dog for defending him, Wolf didn't strike the food coming towards him. His stomach, however, was begging him otherwise. Knowing that if he didn't eat soon, Wolf was going to forget the debt he owed the dog and just attack and eat his stag friend. He began to walk away from the trio to look for food but the dog barked again, Wolf stopped and looked quizzically at the unlikely trio. Wagging his tail, the dog approached Wolf before he pounced on him playfully. It was then Wolf knew that they weren't going to be leaving him alone anytime soon._

_After following different trails with no prey at the end of them, Wolf managed to lead the group to a lake where a group of rabbits were congregated. He lowered his head to the ground, his paws making no sound as he slowly approached the herd from behind. Once Wolf felt he was close enough, he pounced on them sending the majority of rabbits running away, afraid of the predator. He managed, however, to catch one under his paws. It made a loud, screeching noise but Wolf ended its struggle with one swift move._

_He fed first on the rabbit, as any Alpha would do, and once he had his filling he motioned the other three to eat what was left over. They, however, didn't move from their spot, keeping well afar, letting Wolf know that they were not hungry. With a single snort, Wolf went back to his food and fed happily until there was nothing left to chew on._

_Feeling tired, Wolf made his way back to his old territory where it wasn't cold. There, Wolf knew he could sleep without being disturbed by anything else. Once he spotted the place, Wolf took a running leap towards the window he had broken earlier, his claws scratching the hardwood floor the moment he landed, and waited for the other ones to join him. The dog did the same as Wolf as he carried the rat, which seemed to be clinging on the dog's fur for his deaf life, atop of his head. Meanwhile the stag poked his head in first, his large antlers getting caught on the window frame, before he succeeded getting his front legs inside. He jumped several times on his hind legs trying with all his might to get in. Wolf watched curiously as the dog wagged his tail in amusement. The rat was on his own hind legs atop of the dog's head making a fast, squeaking noise that almost sounded like a human laugh._

_Once the stag was in, Wolf made his way towards his warm spot, leaving the others behind. He hopped on the soft bed, walked in circles a few times to make sure that they spot was comfortable and lay down._

_Within minutes, he was asleep._

* * *

I woke up the next morning in my usual room feeling bruised, tired, and sore. As I lay shivering on top of the blankets, naked after my transformation, I began my attempt to recollect everything that had happened while he had taken over, but only random images of two animals and a rat came to mind. When I took a deep breath as I stretched to pull the covers over me, I noticed that the room smelled different. The typical stench of blood and piss were overpowered by traces of wilderness and a much stronger smell of magic than the usual traces after the transformation. And when I registered the metallic taste of blood in my mouth, was the moment I began to panic.

I turned towards the door expecting to find it closed, but my heart sank when I found it standing wide open. As if I were in a dream, I slowly put my uniform slacks on and approached, unsure of what exactly I wanted to see. There were no traces of the animal forcing his way out. The more I thought about it, it looked like someone had opened it for him. When I stepped out in the hallway, I got a whiff of the same mixture of wilderness and magic that my room had leading to the stairs. Fetching my wand, I slowly followed the scent to the ground level of my raggedy shack.

What I found there was definitely something I never expected.

There, lying on the couches, were James, Peter and Sirius, sleeping peacefully, without minding the fact that they were sharing the roof with a monster.

"What. The. Fuck!" I shouted. I was confused, angry, seething, ashamed...I was a ball of emotions as my friends, startled at my scream, jolted awake. "What-how-this has got to be a bloody dream!"

"Ah I see that you're back to your old self," James said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Glad to see that mate. However, I'm tired after running around with you all night, so if you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep."

"Running around...wait a bloody minute." It was then that it dawned on me. The random images that popped into my head were not dreams the wolf had but the companions he had during the night. "You guys...were the animals? How is that even possible?"

"The term we learned was Animagi."

"And you set him free?" I could feel my eye twitch with anger. I knew the animosity I was feeling was left over from the werewolf's own pent up feelings seeping into my own. There were some mornings that I would wake up after the transformation feeling so angry that my hands would shake uncontrollably and no sane thoughts would form in my head save for violent ones. I took a deep breath, trying hard to look past the anger and comprehend what was going on but it was just too much.

"We set _you _free, Moony."

"Moony?" I stared at James wondering if he had taken a spell to the head.

"Yes, I have decided I want to be called Mr. Hooves but Peter and Sirius don't agree with me. Anyway, Sirius here decided that we ought to have code names. He came up with the apparently brilliant idea when he had a small mishap while we were training. He likes to be called Padfoot." When his name was mentioned, Sirius rolled over to his side and began to snore dramatically louder. "Sirius, I know you can hear me. Even Peter here is awake and he's the heavy sleeper."

I had to sit down. My friends, the people I tried so hard to keep from finding my secret out, were here. Talking to me as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Had I been that obvious? Did the whole school know by now? I couldn't even imagine the look on Mum's face if I were to go home, chucked out for being a werewolf. All of the sudden I felt trapped in this shack, in this nightmare where people knew my dark secret and all I could think of doing right now was pace, a trait I had gotten from the werewolf. "How did you guys find out?

"Well, it was Peter here who gave us the idea," said James. "Well, sort of. One day in our Second Year, Peter here mentioned how you were acting a lot like a girl."

"Excuse me?" Again, my eye twitched.

James laughed, "well, he said that you were behaving a lot like...well, like a girl, during that time of the month were they..." James looked at me and fell quiet, the laughter, however was still in his eyes. "Anyway, that put me to think; you were actually leaving once a month for something whether you were injured or a family emergency. It was always something. I told Sirius my funny theory just before the holidays but the sod here laughed and said I was mental."

James looked at Sirius who took it as a cue to continue. "I went home and after one lovely night with Mum and dear old Dad talking about how that bloke Voldemort will get everything sorted out, I found a book in their library. _Werewolves: How to Deal With Their Disease _by Oryan Blishwick. The book was mostly about many ways to get _rid _of a werewolf and not about helping them. There was, however, a rather small chapter of how to spot a werewolf and how they behaved during and after the transformation."

"Sirius sent us a letter that we should get together," Peter continued as I tried to take everything they were saying. "So we got together at the Potters for the Holidays. Honestly, though, we felt guilty for being together without you. But we weren't having much fun as we were reading the book Sirius brought over. We charted all those times we could think of you leaving and your behavior around those days. In the end, we agreed on the theory that you were indeed a werewolf."

"How come you guys didn't say anything?" I asked, wondering why they hadn't gone and to their parents to get me out of the school.

James, Sirius and Peter looked at me, their expression, for once, serious. "You're our mate, Remus," Sirius said. Getting up from his couch Sirius walked up to me and clasped me on the shoulder. "We didn't tell you that we knew because we were afraid of how you would react. It was, as Peter said last night, your choice to keep it a secret. We were the ones that went behind your back and went through your business without asking you. In fact, we weren't sure if it was you up here. I sort of kept thinking that we had imagined it all and that you were, indeed, having family emergencies.

"It was our choice, mind you, to join you on these nights to keep you company," Sirius continued. My eyes began to water but seeing as I was in manly company, I tried my hardest to not let the tears fall. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this would ever happen. I always saw them joining the mob, with one hand holding a torch and the other holding their wand, trying to run me out of the school. "We kept reading in the books that all werewolves, just like their natural born wolf relatives, tend to behave differently when they're in packs. Apparently a werewolf that belongs to one is less likely to attack innocent people and keep to themselves. Meanwhile if werewolf is never introduced to a pack or doesn't have the guidance from an alpha, it'll have a much higher probability to become a rogue and a danger to anyone nearby. So in the end, I started to wonder if you belonged to one but James said that you were most likely the only werewolf in the whole school and that you were likely a loner."

I never considered myself a loner werewolf but now that Sirius mentioned it, I supposed I was. "So brilliant me," Sirius went on, "got the idea from my cousin Bella, who is trying and failing mind you, to becoming an Animagi. So we could be your pack. I ran the idea with Peter and James and we agreed that, since we were friends with the human Remus, we could also be friends with the werewolf Remus as Animagi."

"And James thought sleeping during a full moon was a bit overrated," Peter mused, bringing me back to the sitting room in the shack and away from my dark thoughts. "That's when; during our Third Year we started our training. After many bad incidents and spells gone wrong, Sirius was the first one to pull it off. Then James and I started to panic when he wouldn't shift back."

"You started to panic?" Sirius shook his head laughing. "I spent a whole day as a dog hiding with Moaning Myrtle. I thought I was going to be stuck that way forever! Can you imagine Mum's disbelief? I did come up with the nickname idea while I was stuck in that form, though. Figured that my animagus should have a name of his own." Now that I thought it over, there was a day in our Third Year where Sirius was absent for an entire day and when I had asked for him, James said that he had taken a Quaffle to the head and was in the infirmary.

"Anyway, James was the second one to transform during our Fourth Year and I was last." Peter's cheeks reddened as if he were embarrassed about being the last one. I, on the other hand, could not believe that they had done that just to keep me company. I didn't care who the first one was or last, what mattered was that they did it because they didn't want me to be alone. I was speechless. "Last night was definitely something, I'll tell you that!"

"Tell me about it," Sirius agreed. "Oh and just so you know mate, we don't eat raw rabbits. I preferred them in stews, you know, cooked."

I couldn't help but grin at that, "I'm sorry, I'll definitely try to tell him that next." Then an image of a boy came into my head. I felt my smile vanish when I saw, through the wolf's eyes, a man screaming in fright. "Did something bad happen? Did I attack someone?" When my friends looked at each other, I knew what the answer was going to be and the happiness I had moments ago disappeared.

"What happened?"

"We don't know," responded Sirius as he settled back on the torn crimson sofa. "I found you on top of him, snarling and trying to bite him. I'm sorry mate, for hitting you, but it was the only way to get you off him."

"Do you know who it was?"

"That was Gavin Kavanagh; he was a sixth year Hufflepuff when we started. One hell of a catcher, I'll tell you that," James answered

"The kid. There was a child with him, am I right? What happened to him?"

"Yeah, about that." James shifted on his chair, uncomfortably. "I managed to stop Kavanagh's brother from telling everyone about the whole werewolf bit. Modified his memory to getting attacked by a rabid dog, no offense mate. When Gavin caught up to us, I did the same before sending them merrily on their way home. I just hope that the spell actually worked and that they're not wandering the woods still."

"Don't worry, Remus, you didn't bite either one of them," Sirius said as if he could read my mind. "I was the one that bit Gavin for almost hitting you with the killing curse. Quite an after taste, I'll tell you that, so I won't be doing that again."

"You did attack me though, that should count!" James stated as he pointed to his cheek where I could see a pale, silvery scar. "Luckily, Peter was able to snag a small bottle of essence of dittany from old Slughorn before we came. Otherwise, you would've ruined my good lucks."

"I don't know, Hooves, ladies do like battle scars." Sirius paused as if a thought was forming in his head. "Hooves...Hooves...Yeah, it doesn't roll well with the tongue. How about the name Prongs?"

"I really dislike you sometimes, Black." James went on ignoring Sirius, who was going through a list of names to give him, and turned his attention towards me, a small, guilty grin forming on his lips. "I'm sorry about that gash on your shoulder, mate. I meant to just stop you with my head but I honestly forgot about those bloody antlers. I hope it doesn't hurt too much. I'll try to be gentle with you next time, dearie, I promise." James gave me a cheeky smile and a wink just as I looked at my down on my bare shoulders.

From my collar bone to my shoulder there was what looked to be a three month old scar but it was all due to the rapid healing my werewolf side had. Thankfully, due to lycanthropy, I never got sick. Or whatever injuries that I obtained for whatever reason, they would heal twice as fast than a normal wizard. It didn't hurt at all but I still had to get it checked out by Madam Pomfrey just to be sure any scratches or deep cuts I got were not infected. on my first year she had insisted that I should see her the day after the full moon to make sure I was fine. According to her, no student under her school, werewolf or not, was going to die on her watch due to a silly infection.

I would've loved to continue to talk but I realized how late it was. I cleared my throat, trying hard to keep my voice from showing my true emotions, and announced that I had to finish getting dressed before meeting one of the professors. The last thing I wanted was McGonagall coming to look for me and find all four of us just having a chat when I was supposed to be well away from any humans.

"Oh and guys," I said halfway up the staircase. Peter had turned into a rat again and was perched on James' shoulders. The four of us struggled to keep hidden under the cloak nowadays, so I could see why Peter had done it just to save space. "Thank you...for everything."

As I walked in the tunnel towards the exit, I found myself in such a good mood that I almost began to skip. The idea of my friends accepting my deep, dark secret was something that made the whole curse a bit more bearable. I no longer had to hide myself behind fake smiles as I struggled to keep the monster caged inside me. We were friends, through thick and thin.

Although I had to talk to them about the whole Moony bit.

I found Professor Flitwick waiting for me just outside of the Whomping Willow. The sun was coming up on the horizon and the morning mist was still thick allowing me to hide from any possible prying eyes. The morning, just like the previous night, was cold and I had left my own cloak behind after all the excitement.

"You look different today, Mr. Lupin," Flitwick noted. I feigned to know the reason but I told him that I felt better than other times. "Well, let us go. The castle is waking up for breakfast, so we should try and make it to Madam Pomfrey before the students start making their way to the Great Hall."

I followed Flitwick silently, trying very hard from keep the grin off my face and the bounce out of my stride. I felt a nudge in my brain as I glanced at the Forbidden Forest. He was awake despite spending the entire night running around with other three.

_"Pack?" _I heard my wolfish side ask. He sounded hopeful, despite being used to spending his nights alone from the very beginning. Yet I understood why: just as I needed my friends to keep me sane, the werewolf needed his pack to keep him company.

_"Yes," _I nodded silently, a small smile forming on my lips._ "They're our pack."_

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Hope you liked it! Any comments, concerns, etc...please let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

**Whatever you recognize, it most likely belongs to JKR. This story was inspired by Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville novels.**

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**Chapter 3**

"Ah, Mr. Lupin, I was beginning to question if you were planning on meeting me tonight," Professor McGonagall said when she saw me running down the entrance hall's staircase. I skipped three steps at a time and hoped that any of the students in my way knew to move away unless they wanted to be trampled. "Your father has been waiting in Hogsmead for a while; he's very anxious to get you St. Mungo's to see your mother." Under any other circumstances, McGonagall's ability to lie on the spot would have had me wondering what sort of life she had lived while she attended Hogwarts. But I was late, and asking her about it would only irritate her further.

"Yesprofessorimsorry," I said in one breath, my hands clutching my knees as I tried to compose myself at the bottom of the staircase. It was the first full moon of my Sixth Year and for the first time in my entire Hogwarts's history, I was running late thanks to James. I could feel in my blood that the sun was setting and the dissatisfaction he felt at being inside his cage longer than necessary. It was as if he was gnawing at my brain and would not stop until he got what he wanted. That is why when I stepped out of the castle he tugged at my stomach so hard that I doubled over in pain. I hugged myself trying to regain my self-control, but my panic only heightened when I felt my hands sprout claws that dug painfully into my ribcage. I took a shaky breath to calm myself down before shoving my hands immediately into my pockets and prayed that they would change back.

"_Run! Run! Let me run!"_ The bark in my head was getting louder by the minute. The smell of rain clouds, trees and fresh air made it difficult to keep him at bay much longer.

"We should hurry," McGonagall whispered as she laid a shaky hand on my back. I could feel that she was just as scared as I was. Luckily, for me, there had been no one outside to have seen me and ask any question. I, however, agreed with McGonagall; I needed to get to the Shrieking Shack as soon as possible before I lost control.

"Oi, Moony!" Without turning, I knew that Sirius was rushing towards us. The mixture between the musky smell of wet dog and the cheap cologne he had gotten in Hogsmead was terribly overwhelming to my sensitive sense of smell.

McGonagall sighed in frustration. "Mr. Black, don't you have some homework to do?" I could feel her heart beat increase as Sirius walked up to us. He had a smile plastered on his face and his eyes shone with a hint of humor; he was obviously ignorant to the professor's anger. The sun was minutes from setting and McGonagall's main priority was to get me to safety and to keep the students safe from me. Sirius was not making her job any easier or making me feel any better about my current situation.

"Yes, Sirius, there's plenty of homework you need to finish; you're behind in potions class as it is." I gritted my teeth, and felt myself giving him a cold stare. I could only hope that he would get the hint. The Alpha within me wanted to put Sirius in his place, to order him away but I couldn't do that to my friend. While Wolf had no qualms about keeping his pack in order, I did feel uncomfortable for even thinking myself as any sort of leader of our group. The Marauders as James liked to call us. I took a deep breath to calm the beast inside me and gave Padfoot a feeble grin, wishing he realized how close to transforming I was. "I really have to get to St. Mungo's, mate, we'll talk later."

"Oh right, yes tell your mum that I hope she feels better." Without much practice, my mates managed to play along with the stories the staff made up when I had to leave. Just before I turned to go to the Whomping Willow, Sirius looked at me and I could feel his hesitation. "Just wanted to let you know that I might have a small surprise that I hoped to give you tonight..."

"Mr. Lupin will not be coming back tonight, Mr. Black. His father has requested that he spends the night at home since the rest of his family is coming over to visit," McGonagall explained. "So whatever that surprise may be it'll have to wait. Now go do your assignments, Mr. Black, or I'll deduct points for lack of discipline once again." McGonagall's stern tone left no room for argument.

"See you later, mate!" Sirius turned and ran back to the castle, leaving me to wonder what sort of surprise he might have in store for tonight.

When we got to the Whomping Willow, a house elf dressed in the usual pillow cover was waiting for us. "Kriffin thought Mistress and Master Lupin wouldn't make it on time," the elf squeaked as she immobilized the tree for us. She was McGonagall's personal elf and the only one out of the house elf staff that knew my secret. By duty, she was bound never to reveal my secret to anyone; however, that didn't mean that she wasn't afraid of me. With every step I took towards the tree, Kriffin took two steps towards McGonagall.

"What you requested is in there, Master Lupin." I nodded in gratitude and went into the tunnel without saying a word. As the door closed behind me, trapping me in my safe haven, I realized that I couldn't hold it in anymore. It felt like he was tearing me apart from the inside so when I couldn't hold him in anymore, it was as if my body were lit on fire. I let out a yowl of pain as I felt each of my vertebral discs break away from their usual position and melt into that of a canine. Somehow, while on all four, I managed to kick my shoes off as I felt my feet grow and reshape in the Wolf's hind legs.

I ran my tongue along my mouth and felt as it transformed into the Wolf's muzzle and as each tooth became individual, sharp, weapons. I could feel as each of muscles shifted and rearranged themselves into powerful legs. Heaving heavily, I tried to take off my shirt but I ended up ripping it off my body; buttons flew everywhere. Not caring if I had a shirt to wear in the morning, I tried to undo my belt but I lost it completely by the time to my trousers' button and zipper.

I shouted in agony. Wanting all of it to stop, to just...

_When he came to, Wolf immediately began to panic. He was in a strange place and his hind legs were trapped in human clothing and no matter how much he kicked up in the air, it wouldn't let him free. He whined, kicked and growled for minutes until he finally began to bite through the clothing; his powerful fangs ripping it to pieces without much effort. Once he had bitten his way out, Wolf shook his fur and relished the feeling of his tail wagging freely behind him. After the bliss of his partial freedom, he began to growl at the apparent dangerous piece of clothing before he pounced and began to shred it until only slivers were left._

_When the human clothing was no longer a threat, Wolf commenced on taking in his surroundings. His advanced eye sight allowed him to adjust to the darkness a lot faster so he was able to see that he was inside a passage way and by the smell of it, the pack's den was nearby. He sniffed around trying to find a track of his pack but he only found a piece of meat the Other One had left behind for him to eat rather than hunt. He tore through the packaging and devoured the food wondering if his pack was going to show up at all tonight. He desperately wanted to get out of the dark, enclosed tunnel but something inside him told him to wait. _

_He licked his muzzle clean from the blood and waited as patiently as he could for the Rat, Stag and Dog. They had been his pack for such a short time but Wolf already thought of them as his family. His family, however, was late for the night and Wolf was itching to get out and smell the fresh air, to feel the grass under his paws and run. With a grunt, Wolf stood from his spot and began to trot towards his den. _

"Stop, Snape! Will you just listen to me?"_ Wolf's ears perked at the sound of the familiar voice. He walked back and peeked through a small hole to see two dark figures coming towards his territory. When wind carried their scents over to Wolf, he recognized one of them as the Stag's. His tail started to wag from side to side, thinking that his pack was finally on their way to join him until something struck Wolf as odd. The other scent was sour; evil…something dark was coming towards him and it was making him nervous. _

"Trying to keep me away from this place just proves that my theory is right, Potter._" Wolf heard someone say. He sounded angry making Wolf himself angry at the situation. He growled when the dark shadows got closer but he didn't think they heard him as they continued to argue._

"I don't know what you're talking about; just forget whatever Sirius might've told you."_Part of Wolf felt anxious. He was unsure of what was going on, and the Other One was urging him to just run away and hide because the one coming was bad news. But Wolf knew that he needed to defend what was his and protect the Stag if necessary. They were a family, and they protected each other no matter what._

"

Oh, really? So you mean to tell me that you haven't notice Lupin going away every bloody month for just a night? And it just happens to be during the full moon?"_ The voice scoffed with disgust. "_If that's the case, you're a bigger idiot than I thought, Potter, and that's saying something. I really wish I knew what she sees in you…"  
_  
_"That tree is dangerous!"_ The Stag shouted. _"That's all it is, whatever it hides, it is nothing!""Oh, so tree is just hiding a fluffy rabbit then?"_ The dark one sneered. _"Doubt it, Potter. Now go bully someone else, I don't have time for you tonight."

"Damn it, Snape! Levicorpus!"_Wolf yelped with happiness at the Stag's quick move._

"

How dare you?"_ The dark one shouted as he hung upside down. Wolf's happiness banished when the dark one started flinging spells towards his pack member. One spell hit the Stag on the shoulder allowing the enemy to fall on the ground with a heavy thud. The Stag was injured and Wolf was trapped unable to help. He launched himself at the door repeatedly, using his head or shoulders but no matter how many times he tried, the door never budged. _

"Listen to me, damn it!"_ Wolf peaked through the hole and saw the Stag on the floor holding his shoulder; the dark one stood over him, his wand pointing at his pack member. _

"I don't have to listen to you, Potter, _Silencio_!"  
_  
Wolf watched as the one with the horrible stench approached him and all Wolf could see was red. He had hurt a member of his pack and was coming to invade his territory. All Wolf wanted to do was to rip into his throat and taste his warm blood before ripping the invader's entire body to pieces. His other side, however, was screaming for him to run and get away for he was in grave danger._

Wolf's heckles were raised as he saw the dark one close to this territory. Then something strange began to happen inside the passageway. A loud grinding noise started to fill the place to the point where Wolf though he was being attacked from everywhere. Nothing, however, happened yet the loud noise still filled the place. He peeked through the hole again and saw tree branches swinging from side to side as if it were moving on its own.

_Just as a branch came crashing down, the Stag ran up to the intruder and tackled him to the ground saving him from the violent attack. The dark one, however, didn't take the noble act too kindly for he started yelling and swinging punches at the Stag. Wolf felt miserable for only being able to watch instead of being able to help his family. He tried to escape once more by head-butting and scratching but nothing seemed to work on the door. _

_He was trapped and there was nothing he could do to help. _

"_Impedimenta_!"_ A third voice said. Wolf stopped his attack on the door and peeked through the hole to find the Stag and the invader both on the ground unmoving along with man with a long beard. When the scent carried over to Wolf he felt frightened by the man. _"Both of you, in my office. Now!"

_Wolf waited for a while but the Stag didn't come back and the Rat and Dog never even made an appearance for the night. With a whine, Wolf shook his head and headed towards the den. He felt tired and the idea of running without his pack wasn't appealing anymore. _

I woke up the following day on the usual bed with a massive headache. As I looked around for my clothes, I recalled not making it to the shack on time so I had no idea where my clothes were at the current moment. Luckily for me, Peter had suggested to keep a spare change of clothes just in case something happened. Today, I was glad I had listened to my friend. As I got dressed, I tried to recollect what had happened earlier in the night but only flashes of light, spells, formed in my head.

Then it hit me.

Snape had almost entered the tunnel and he and James had gotten into a fight. I remember him feeling agitated, angry…he had been ready to kill Snape if he had managed to find his way in. '_I might have a small surprise that I hoped to give you tonight_.' I kept telling myself that Padfoot was not that dumb to have brought Snape just as prank. That he wouldn't deliberately bring someone into the tunnel for me to bite. Yet the more I tried to defend Sirius, the more I became convinced that he had been the one that sent Snape as a '_surprise_' for me.

I stormed into the tunnel as fast as my legs could take me.

After my visit with Madame Pomfrey, I found Peter sitting in the deserted common room with three books propped open right in front of him. His hair was a mess and he looked like he hadn't had gone to bed at all. "Hey Remus..." he greeted me as I sat next to him. I could smell the sweat from his forehead. He was nervous.

"What happened last night, Peter?" I tried to keep my voice calm but my anger managed to seep through.

"Well…" Peter put down his quill and sighed heavily. "It was all supposed to be a joke. To scare Snape. Sirius had been apparently working on Snape on his own…giving him hints…specially last week when they were both in detention. Snape has been apparently taking note of your disappearances and wanted to make sure that he was right before going to Dumbledore about you. When Sirius told James about what he had done and that Snape was going down to the Whomping Willow to look for the werewolf, James left.

Sirius laughed at first thinking that James just wanted to get a good seat and watch Snape get trampled by the tree. We grabbed his invisibility cloak thinking that he had left it behind…wouldn't want to get caught right. But as we got down to the grounds we found Snape and James arguing. James was trying to convince Snape that it was just a rouse by Sirius, nothing more." Peter paused as a first year girl came down to the common room to collect her books before heading out the portrait.

"Sirius is mad at James," Peter said as he scribbled rapidly on the parchment while not looking at me. "Thinks that James was betrayed him. Meanwhile James is mad at Sirius for even daring to taunt Snape about the tree. Both Snape and James got a hundred points deducted for fighting in school grounds putting Ravenclaw in the lead with Hufflepuff in second. Sirius' defense is that Snape shouldn't have been trying to get into our business so this was just a small lesson."

"A lesson?" My eye twitched.

"Sirius doesn't understand that last night could've ended badly. For all of us, I mean, including Snape." I nodded in agreement. I was beyond mad at Sirius for even thinking that this was a good lesson for Snape. He didn't seem to grasp the severity of the situation. If the Wolf had managed to get out and bitten Snape or any of the students at Hogwarts, I would've been banished from school. Possibly end up in Azkaban while Dumbledore himself and the rest of the staff would be questioned about their involvement in harboring a dangerous animal. I couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed by him.

"Where's James?"

"Detention with Professor McGonagall. Sirius on the other hand is sleeping."

"Ah," was all I could say before I spotted a second person come down the staircase. Wolf immediately wanted to punish him while the human side of me wanted to punch him. As much as I wanted to do both things, I was afraid that our friendship would end if I took either route. And I had to be honest with myself, his friendship, along with Peter's and James' was what kept me going. I couldn't bear to lose them and their friendship.

That didn't mean that I had forgiven him yet.

"Hullo, Moony," he said as he sat next to me. Peter kept giving us nervous glances before going back to his assignment. I tried to read his features. He wasn't nervous or anxious but he wasn't wearing the usual stupid grin he always had.

"Morning, Sirius."

He stared at me, and I tried-well, Wolf tried-to not take it as a challenge. "You're not mad at me, too, right?"

No Sirius, I'm completely and utterly livid, I wanted to say, but I just shrugged, unsure of what I could say without angering him.

My silence apparently said a thousand words. "Look, it was just a bloody prank. And I'm seriously sorry about this whole mess. Snivellus, however, had it coming. He's always spying and following us waiting for a chance to turn us in and get us expelled. You may think of him as the victim but if he had gone to the Board of Governors about you, who knows what would've happened. I wanted to teach him a lesson, that's all."

I wanted to shout at him that Grayback thought of biting me was part of a lesson my father needed to learn for disrespecting him. Yet all I could do is shake my head before getting up from the table.

"Where're you going, Moony?" Peter asked as I walked out of the common room.

"I need to walk and think before I can even think about speaking with Sirius in a calmly manner."

I left the common room and proceeded on making my way to the Great Hall. Being a Saturday morning it was bound to be slightly empty due to the student's love to sleep in on the weekend so I was looking forward to a bit of solitude with my thoughts.

"Remus, wait!" If I had been paying attention, I would've been able to smell her coming instead of taking me by surprise.

"Morning Lily."

She smelled of lavender soap, cinnamon, and with a hint of Mandrake from the herbology greenhouse and sweat. Her muscles were tense around her shoulders and her heartbeat increased as her green eyes darted to the few people around us. "I wanted to talk to you...perhaps we could talk in private, if you don't mind." I narrowed my eyes. Something was up. I allowed her to lead me into an empty classroom where she locked the door behind us. Wolf didn't seem to take too kindly at the idea of being trapped, I on the other hand, was nervous. My nerves were still raw from the transformation do I had no idea on how to react to this. She was nervous, yet her eyes clearly told me that she was hurt.

"Do they know the truth about your constant departures?" Lily asked. I knew who she was referring to. I debated on making something up but she was a smart witch and in the end would figure it out. One thing was to keep part of my life secret; another thing was to lie outright when you're being asked an honest question. Lily was a wonderful friend and the last thing I wanted was to lie to her.

"They figured out in our second year," I said as I settled myself on a chair. "James was the one that figured it out first thanks to a comment Peter made." She arched her eyebrow wondering what Peter had said but that was something I did not want to repeat. "James is a good friend and he swore never to repeat my secret with anyone. He made Sirius and Peter swear as well into secrecy so ever since they've guarded my secret and covered for me when I needed them. James even writes extra notes whenever I can't make it to class."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why would I?" I shot back but quickly apologized. "I never meant to tell anyone. I considered myself lucky with every full moon that passed without anyone finding out. I couldn't risk what Dumbledore had done for my sake…so when James, Sirius and Peter found out they kept my secret as their own. Anyone could've figured it out if they had paid attention to Defense Against the Dark Arts and my departures."

"It is very noble of Potter to have kept your secret well-guarded." I could feel Lily's body temperature increase slightly. "They're good friends towards you; despite being prats sometimes, I think that there might be hope for them."

"Yes, they are my loyal friends." I smiled. "You should give them a chance. You know James fancies you." Her cheeks reddened but I pretended not to notice.

"How old were you when it happened?" She asked after a moment of silence.

I sighed and thought back of that frightful night. "I was too young to understand what was going on."

"Oh, I'm sorry Remus."

"Now my turn…how did you figure it out?"

"Sev-Snape was the one who planted the idea in my head. It was then when I started to take notice and started charting your leavings and your moods along with the full moon. When we became prefects I hoped that you would confide in me but-"

"I'm sorry Lils, but this was not something I wanted to share. If I had gotten away, James, Peter and Sirius would still be in the dark."

An awkward pause filled the room. "Can I as you something else?"

I cringed inwardly, I really was not in the mood to talk to anyone let alone answer questions about my disease but I nodded. "Is the Shrieking Shack haunted?"

I laughed. "I had forgotten that Dumbledore called it that."

"What?"

"For me, that shack is just my raggedy shack; however my screams were frightening the people from the village and they started thinking that it was haunted. When the rumors got to Dumbledore, he started encouraging them saying that the shack was indeed haunted by vicious ghost. He let it slip one day, according to his tale, at a pub that the name of the place was the Shrieking Shack and that he himself had tried to go in there once but was so frightened that he had to leave right away."

Lily nodded, understanding. "So the place is not haunted as the people from Hogsmead say?"

"Just me." I couldn't help but smile a bit.

"And Dumbledore just made it up to keep you safe?"

"Yes." We laughed until my stomach growled with an angry protest. The last meal I had eaten, without counting the piece of meat I had given Wolf, had been a late afternoon meal. Asking Lily to join me for an early breakfast, we both proceeded to make our way towards the Great Hall. As we turned a corner, Lily pounced on me. I could feel Wolf wanting to fight back at the sudden attack, to push her and put her on her place. Werewolves, sometimes, could not tell the difference between a friendly hug and a hostage attack.

"Thank you for telling me the truth, Remus," she said.

I hugged her back. "Thanks for being a good friend, Lily."

I was still mad at Sirius and his rather stupid decision. However, as Wolf felt about his pack, I felt the same towards my friends. They were my family, and sometimes family members make stupid mistakes. There was nothing they could do that would change that view I had towards them.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please remember to review! :)


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